Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was acquitted Thursday by the Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest criminal court, for his alleged role in the killing of protesters in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprising, according to state-run news agency Al-Ahram.

Mubarak, 88, dominated the nation for three decades as president but went through a series of criminal trials after being ousted from office because of the protests.

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Amnesty International said at least 840 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured during the 18 days of street protests in Egypt.

Mubarak has been hospitalized for long periods with heart problems and stomach cancer since leaving office, sometimes appearing in the courtroom on a stretcher or in a wheelchair.

He was convicted in 2012 of ordering the deaths of protesters and sentenced to life in prison.

But following appeals, he was tried again and acquitted. In 2015, judges ordered him to be tried for a third time for the killings.

The Court of Cassation is the highest court in criminal litigation in Egypt, so its decision is final. It's possible Mubarak could walk free from the military hospital in the Cairo suburb of Maadi.

In January 2016, the Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, of their conviction for embezzling $17.9 million allocated for the renovation of the presidential palace.

The Mubaraks were ordered to pay 125 million Egyptian pounds ($16 million) and sentenced them to three years in prison. The court credited the Mubaraks for time served.

Mubarak, a military hero because of his actions during the 1973 Yom Kippur War with Israel, was elected president in 1981.